The Pa-la-ti-'shan

by Neal Goldstein

  I should have known better than to try to conceal anything from her. “Well, before I met Samantha I met with my father.”

  “Your father is using lip stick?”

  “No, not him; Maggie McGrath.”

  “Who is Maggie McGrath and why is her lip stick on your collar?”

  I explained about my father’s request that we meet and all about Maggie and her daughters and the corner bar across the street from my father’s union hall. “Nick, you, me and Bobby can all go to dinner there tomorrow night if you don’t believe me.”

  “OK, I believe you, but what did your father want to meet you about?”

  I knew I could not avoid telling Nicky about the threat that my father had warned me about. “Nicky, you know you can’t take every rumor on the street seriously.”

  “Bernie, this isn’t some farfetched out of nowhere fantasy. This is a real threat from a credible source. What’s so funny?”

  “I’m sure this is the first time in a long time anybody referred to Senator Cinaglia as a credible source,” I said.

  “This is serious.”

  “I know. Listen, I already have a call into Detective Ichowitz. I promise you I will take every reasonable precaution. I asked Bob Gronski to have some of his guys from the FOP keep an eye on things. My father offered to have some of his people watch out for us, but I think they would scare off the regular citizens. You’ll see everything will be OK.”

  I could tell by her reaction that she was not at all comforted by the news. I was also not as confident as I projected either. While I was not concerned about my own wellbeing I was worried about Nicky and Bobby. I had already decided that for the rest of the campaign, there would be no further family appearances or photo ops. I would spend as much time as possible with my family. I was taking this threat as very serious indeed.

  “Can I change the subject to something other than my campaign and Samantha Binnager?”

  She nodded.

  “I know your relationship with your father has improved, I mean at least the two of you are communicating again. But, I don’t know, it seems that there’s still some issues that need to be addressed. Nicky, has your father told you why he kept the arrangement with the Conrad’s a secret?”

  She shook her head.

  “Look, I know it’s really not my call, and I think that you’re entitled to know,” I could see her painful expression. I took her hand in mine. “Honey, it’s up to you, but maybe you should just forgive your father and move on.”

  I filled Joel in on the break in the class action that Samantha Binnager had provided us the following morning.

  “You know something, Nicky’s right that woman wants something from you. I mean nobody gives anyone this kind of information for free.”

  “You’re being cynical. Just like a lawyer.”

  “Hello! I am a lawyer, a cynical, I don’t believe people are good after all and everything is going to be ok, son of a bitch, I’ll cut your balls off and serve them to you as an appetizer litigator! Trust your wife’s instincts on this, something ain’t kosher.”

  “OK, OK. But in the meantime we got this gift. Let’s face it, if we had to do a forensic analysis of Worthington’s books we may never have found this bonanza. If there are strings to her offer, I’m sure we’ll find out what they are, somewhere along the line. You’re the litigator, how do we get the money into the hands of our deserving clients?”

  “Bernie lad, the president will be here in less than 72 hours, the Secret Service advance team wants to meet with you and the Gronskis to discuss the arrangements for the rally,” Jack Collins said. “It will be a grand party. The governor and the speaker and Congressman O’Grady and even Senator Spellman will be on hand. The event is planned for the Liacouras Center at Temple University. The students are already lining up for tickets. They’ll be 10,000 people on hand.”

  “Jack, maybe it’s not a good time for the president to be making a personal appearance for my campaign.”

  “Bernie, have you lost your mind, we’re talking about the feckin president of the United States, POTUS himself! You don’t turn down an opportunity to appear on the same platform with the MAN!”

  “Jack, I know, but it appears that there may be a possible issue of security and I need to let the secret service know about what may turn out to be a credible threat on my life. I don’t want to expose the president to any unnecessary danger.”

  “That’s not your call. Last I checked the president has some pretty good security for events like this. I think his traveling party actually has about 100 or so armed agents, federal SWAT teams, the US army and navy, not to mention the entire Philadelphia Police department at his disposal. I think standing next to the president is probably the safest place in the entire world.”

  “OK, but I’m going to tell his advance team what I know.”

  “Warren Pennington told me that Bob Conrad named Bobby his principal heir.”

  “That’s right dad.”

  “I assume that’s going to be quite a lot of money,” he said.

  “I guess so,” she agreed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Dad, I think it’s time you told me why you didn’t let me know that Bob Conrad kidnapped Bobby and kept her from me for all those years. If you love me and Bobby like you claim, I need to know the truth. If you don’t tell me everything, I swear I will have nothing to do with you for the rest of my life!”

  Miller’s face blushed with anger. “Is this Green’s doing?”

  She laughed, “Bernie has nothing to do with this. As a matter of fact, he has repeatedly suggested that I forgive you. But you know Dad, I can’t, I just can’t let it go. You’re my father, how could you have done this to me and my daughter, your granddaughter?” She shouted at him as she wiped the tears from her cheek.

  Miller stared back at her, turned and walked away.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

  The Campaign Appearance

  I had a campaign appearance the day before the big shindig with the president. It had been planned long before the big event and I believed I owed it to the Fishtown Civic Association to show up as promised. The event was scheduled to begin at 1PM in front of the Shop N Bag at the Port Richman Plaza. The Gronskis and the Civic Association had agreed to stage the event as a meet and greet the candidate. A table had been set up near the entrance to the super market for my campaign literature. My entourage, Mike Zeebooker and the Gronskis and some of the Association officers, the ward leader and some committee men stood next to the table with me. To my amazement, a crowd of over a 200 were waiting to shake my hand. Must be the free soft pretzels the campaign was giving out I thought.

  “Mr. Green, will you take a picture with my granddaughter?”

  “Certainly,” I smiled and took the little girl in my arms as the proud grandmother held up her phone camera to capture the moment.

  “One day Patricia will have this picture with the president hanging on her wall,” she said as the camera flashed.

  “Well ma’am, the president is coming to town tomorrow,” I said.

  “Yes I know, but one day you’ll be president and Patty will have this to prove that you held her!”

  I shook my head and chuckled as I handed the child back to her grandmother.

  I was engrossed in my conversations with every person who approached me many of whom the committee people introduced to me.

  “This is Mrs. Shamansky from Ontario Street. The Shamanskys started the Fishtown Association 10 years ago,” Ward Leader Mike Malarky told me. It seemed as if everyone in the line had an interesting anecdote that I needed to become aware of.

  Axel Johnston watched from the doorway of the now closed “Dollar Store” about 90 feet away. He waited and carefully surveyed the parking lot to see if any undercover police were present. When he was satisfied that there was no security, he made his move. Johnston walked past the line of people moving steadily towards his target.

  Mike Zeebooker noti
ced the small baldheaded man wearing a rain coat as he approached the table. There was something wrong about the way the man moved. Zeebooker saw the man holding something in his hand, a gun. Without thinking, Zeebooker hurled his body between the man and me, knocking the gunman to the ground as the gun fired.

  The sound of the shot was deafening. I jumped on the prone man and tried to wrestle the gun away. The little man was surprisingly strong and I was concerned that I would fail. As the gun man tried to free his hand, Zeebooker stabbed the assailant in his eye with the little screwdriver he carried in his pocket protector. Mr. Malarkey and I restrained the attacker until the police arrived.

  News of the attack was on KYW radio before I could call Nicky to assure her I was safe.

  “You should have seen Mike Zeebooker! He jumped the shooter, he nearly put out his eye with that little screwdriver he carries in his pocket,” I told her still smiling as I relayed the event later that night. Detective Ichowitz told me the assailant was likely the person Robert Worthington had hired for the hit. The police would keep me and my family under surveillance nevertheless, just to be sure. The increased security of the president’s visit would also serve as a deterrent to any further attacks.

  I could tell that something was bothering Nicky. I assumed it was the attack that thanks to Zeebooker had been thwarted. “Hey, you OK?”

  “No not really.”

  “I know that what happened today is scary, but I really believe this is the last of that business. We’re safe now. You don’t have to worry about Worthington anymore,” I said.

  “I guess so, but there are a lot of crazy people out there. Look what happened to that Congresswoman in Arizona.”

  “Yes I guess there’s always some risk to holding public office,” I conceded. “You can’t dwell on that stuff. OK?”

  “Sure.”

  “Honey, is there anything else?”

  “Well, I had an argument with my father today. I asked him to tell me why he kept Robert Conrad’s kidnapping Bobby from me. I told him if didn’t tell me I would have nothing further to do with him.”

  “How did he respond?”

  “He asked me if you put me up to that. I told him he was way off base. Anyway, he just walked away. I feel so disappointed.”

  I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. I took her in my arms. “It will be alright. You’ll see things will work out.”

  We held each other for a while in silence.

  “Bernie, speaking of fathers don’t you think you should see your father and thank him for telling you about Worthington?”

  “I will,” I promised.

  The event with the president went off without a hitch. The president was gracious in his remarks and made a big fuss over Bobby. He made her promise to come to the White House to meet with his daughters when I was elected to the House of Representatives.

  “It’s a good thing the president doesn’t know Bobby came into a big inheritance. I’m sure if he did, he’d be askin the little girl for a fat contribution to his reelection campaign,” Jack Collins said tongue firmly in cheek.

  “Jack, I don’t think the president needs any help from the Green family to get reelected. There is something I’d like to discuss with you,” I said as Nicky and Bobby left the Liacouras Center with the Gronskis.

  When we were alone I said, “Jack, there’s something that’s been bothering me for quite a while and I need to know exactly what was going on between the governor and Senator Cinaglia. Was the governor getting some kind of payoff from the senator?”

  “Bernie, ya really don’t need to know what those two scoundrels were into.”

  “Yes I really do.”

  Collins sighed and shook his head. “Ya wouldn’t be wantin me to betray a confidence would ya?”

  “I need to know,” I persisted.

  The big Irishman looked from side to side as if trying to find a way to escape and finally said, “It’s not what you’re thinking at all. The governor wasn’t getting any payoffs from Cinaglia, it was the other way around.”

  I stared at the big man. “The governor was paying off the senator? Why?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t call it a payoff, more like extortion. It seems the senator and the governor’s wife had a hot and heavy romance back in the day. It wasn’t so much that the senator was actually in love with Mrs. Slattery, it’s just that Cinaglia’s the kind of guy who would fuck your wife just to prove to you that he could. Anyways, he would insist on the governor makin contributions to the senator’s various charities and organizations and the senator wouldn’t be tellin any of the media about the fling. Ya know nothing embarrassing would be released.”

  “Is the governor still paying Cinaglia off ?”

  “Well, now that the governor is about to leave office and will not be running again, he doesn’t care what the senator says about the missus.” Collins looked around making sure no one was in earshot. “Bernie, here’s a little tidbit for you to keep under your hat. As soon as the governor retires from public life, the charade of the happy marriage between the governor and his first lady will also be a thing of the past. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the governor takes a shot at that hottie who works for Senator Spellman. He’s been sniffin around that one like a dog in heat.”

  “Samantha Binnager?”

  “Yes that’s the one.”

  “She may be out of the governor’s league,” I said.

  “Well laddie, I don’t know about that, but if I was you, I’d keep a wide berth from that one. She’s trouble, and she couldn’t take her eyes off of you.”

  “Really?”

  Collins nodded.

  “Thanks for the advice. One more thing if you could?”

  Collins looked at me and waited.

  “Does my father have anything to do with any of that?”

  “Believe it or not your dad was only trying to get you a job and make sure you were not taken advantage of by the governor or anyone else. He did suggest to the governor that you run for Sylvester Johnson’s seat. You weren’t really belivin that line of shite the governor laid on about coming up with that idea. Ya know the governor only thinks of himself.”

  “Your dad has always been lookin out for you. You may not remember, but when I first met you I wasn’t aware that you were Max’ kid. I asked your father why he never mentioned you to me. Do ya want to know what he told me?”

  I shook my head.

  “He said he realized he let you down and hurt you badly. He didn’t think you wanted anything to do with him. He just didn’t know what to do.”

  “So what changed, I mean why did he go out of his way to help me?”

  “You’re his son and he loves you.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE

  The Rest of Major Miller’s Story

  Miller realized that any hope for a continuing relationship with his daughter would require total candor and complete disclosure of his darkest secret. Why didn’t Green leave it alone as he had asked? The consequences had been devastating, the suicide of his best friend, Robert Worthington’s murder and the estrangement of his daughter. If Green had let it drop none of this would have happened.

  Miller could not, however, disregard the overwhelming joy of seeing his daughter and granddaughter together. He cursed himself for denying his daughter the wonder of witnessing the thrill of nurturing and loving her baby, an experience that could never be replaced. What a fool he had been to permit that to happen. He had been such a coward; now he wondered if he had the strength to make it right.

  He waited in the late afternoon outside their apartment hoping for a glimpse of his granddaughter. He saw Green walk out with the dog. Should he approach?

  Toto took matters out of his control as he pulled Green in his direction looking no doubt for the treat Miller always gave her whenever he visited.

  “I didn’t know you were coming over today,” I said.

  “I hadn’t planned to visit, I mean, I…” Miller was uncharacteristi
cally flustered.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “No, not really; do you have a moment to talk?”

  “Sure, let’s go up to the apartment, Nicky and Bobby are home. You can join us for dinner.”

  “If you don’t mind can we just have a private conversation out here?” Miller asked.

  “Of course.”

  We walked over to a bench in the square away from the main walkway. I sat and waited for the Major to initiate the conversation.

  “I know our relationship has not always been as cordial as either of us would like,” Miller began. “I know you love my daughter and Bobby. I also know that you would never do anything to hurt either of them.”

  I stared at him not knowing where this was headed.

  “Do you remember when we met at the diner in Morgantown? When you told me you found out that Bobby was with Bob Conrad’s sister. You asked me how I could have let Bob take Bobby from Nicky and keep it a secret from her for all those years.”

  “I remember.”

  “I can only imagine what you thought of me. I mean, how could a father keep such a secret from his daughter? What kind of a man would do that?”

  “Major, maybe this is a conversation you should be having with Nicky. You do not have to explain anything to me.”

  “I know, of course I have to speak with Nicky. This is so hard. I don’t know if I can tell her.”

  I sat in silence and waited for Miller to collect his thoughts and decide if it was indeed time to speak with his daughter directly.

  “I don’t know if this will help any, but I haven’t had very much to do with my father for the past 16 years. I was angry with him for divorcing my mother. It wasn’t until very recently that we reconciled,” I told the older man.

  “Why are you telling me this?” Miller asked.

  “I was stubborn. Both my mother and my older brother had reconciled with my father years ago. I missed the opportunity to have his advice and companionship. He made many overtures to me throughout the years. I screwed up. I can’t get those years back, but I’m going to try to have a relationship with him now.